


Apologies

by PookElucy, spegetty



Series: Aria Celeste [2]
Category: Voltron - Fandom
Genre: Brotp, I always knew I was probably going to write it but I just don’t have the inspiration till now lol, Mentions deaths of other minor characters, Revelations, Sign Language, apologizing, i just inspired to write them from that one scene in her story, one of my favorite brotps from Maud’s story, some characters are mute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-26 01:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15653265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PookElucy/pseuds/PookElucy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/spegetty/pseuds/spegetty
Summary: This is another part about Aria. This goes off Maud’s story, Tales of the Scarlet Kaida. I decided to write about Aria apologizing about how she acted at a certain point in the story. If you’d like to know which chapter is before this side story I wrote, it’s chapter 13: ‘Cracks in the Wall (Part 1)’ from Tales of the Scarlet Kaida by Little_Dragon_Writes.Hope you like it!(Shout-out to Ryn. Thanks for helping me trick Maud, and for helping me with your OC’s backstory and beta-ing!)





	Apologies

After finding out about Cosmo’s, Jijii’s, and Lucy’s time in the arena, Aria wallowed. She felt betrayed, even though she had no right to feel that way. She lay awake in her bed, staring at the vacant bed that belonged to Deandra. _Had_ belonged to Deandra. That was still at tough concept to acknowledge. She still wasn’t over her death. The wound was still fresh. And then add Lucy going missing, and all of a sudden she finds out something serious about her best friend? Something she thought that Cosmo would’ve told her by now. But, that was a wrong thing to assume. She was once again reminded of Jijii’s words.  
  
_That’s the first thing Lucy told you when you joined the crew or have you all already forgotten it? You’re the hypocrite in this story! You decided to open up? Good for you. We offered you the option that’s been taken away from us._  
  
Lucy told each of them that if they wanted to share their stories, they were welcome to with open arms. They would not be judged. But, if you didn’t want to talk about your past, that was fine too. And you should also respect the rest of the crew, should they choose not to talk.

 

So how could Aria expect Cosmo to bear his pain to her? How is that fair? She remembered it took her a few months to truly open up to someone, and that someone was Cosmo.

  
  


It happened when she had a nightmare. She was back in the mines, and reliving how her best friend Dimitrius was beaten for not having the strength to continue working and not talking. She went to go to his side, but she was bound by another Galra. The Galra had forced her to watch as the lead Galra in command beat Dimitrius to death. Dimitrius couldn’t even scream or groan in pain. All she kept hearing was the dull thuds of the Galra’s gun beating Dimitrius’s body, Dimitrius’s bones cracking from the force of the swings, and lastly, and probably the worst part, the shots from the Galra’s gun shooting Dimitrius’s body repeatedly. If she thought he was mute before? This was probably the worst silence from him above all. She screamed in the dream before waking up. Aria glanced around, trying to get her bearings when her eyes landed on Deandra. Deandra was dead asleep, only the alarms could wake her or her own internal clock. Aria still shook from the nightmare, so she slipped out of the room in her robe and slippers. It was camouflage colored, gifted by Deandra.

 

‘ _You_ _know, since you’re a spy and blend in!’ Deandra had claimed._

 

Aria walked aimlessly, trying to rid herself of the memory. Always the same. She had failed Dimitrius. After all he’s helped her to defeat her enemies, she couldn’t defeat them. And it cost her her best friend. She had failed. And she never failed. She could count on one hand how many times a mission has failed that she was tasked with. Three. The first? Dimitrius’s death.

 

Aria leaned against the wall in one of the many corridors. She grasped the crystal Dimitrius gave her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she slid down the wall, going into the fetal position. She began to sob. The heartache and guilt eating away at her in that moment. The next thing she knew, a warm hand touched her shoulder. Aria jumped, she whirled around in a panic; in no state to grab her knife in her robe’s pocket and defend herself like she normally would. She saw Cosmo, leaning over her with a concerned look on his face. He implored her with his eyes, asking if she is okay. Aria broke down once again and curled in on her self. Cosmo’s grip on her shoulder tensed. She knew he had never seen her this undone, reduced to this state. He wrapped his arm around her back and under her legs. She realized a little belatedly that he was carrying her somewhere. She just didn’t know where to nor cared at the moment. Stuck in her guilt and spiraling emotions.

 

Cosmo finally lowered her down onto a sofa by the window sill looking out into space. Aria realized it was to his and Lucy’s little private room. She had stumbled upon them once and thought it cute that Lucy was reading to Cosmo, so she kept it to herself. Cosmo must have brought her here because he felt this was a safe place from prying eyes.

 

Cosmo knelt down in front of her. “ _What’s wrong?_ ” He signed.

 

Aria’s eyes welled up again. “It’s all my fault, Cosmo..” she spoke with a choked voice. She watched him tilt his head in questioning. She dug her hands into her palms and stood. She began to pace as Cosmo rose and sat on the sofa by the window sill. He watched her, but waited patiently since she was in such distress.

 

“You don’t know...what happened to lead me here. I..” Aria stopped her pacing, and finally decided to open up. Maybe it’d do her good to talk to someone. She breathed in and began. “My planet was able to grow its own technology. We mined it to help ourselves live comfortably. We had many engineers, scientists, and technicians. Because our planet’s weather was harsh, we never saw the sun. Many of my ancestors were fair skinned and had brown or black hair. But when we found the mines, we were able to make a weather controlling system around my planets atmosphere. We made it constantly sunny with occasional rain when our land needed it. And because of that, our bodies genetic make up began to change. Many of us began to grow with blonde hair, even if our ancestors DNA didn’t have it in their system before. Most of my generation had tan skin and blonde hair.” She held her hands in front of her, frowning at the floor.

 

“But the Galra found out about our planet’s resources. They conquered our planet and forced us to mine all of the technology our planet was creating. But you know them, they didn’t allow our planet to take a break. So in the end, our planet began to die. When my people told the Galra, they didn’t care. Told us to continue. But my people had had enough. They began to fight back, or stood their ground and refused. We lost many people that way. I also lost my parents. My parents were scientists. They worked in a laboratory that helped create technology for our health. I lost them when I was seventeen…” Aria had to clear her throat of the lump that began to form when she spoke of her parents. “The only remaining person that I cared about and cared about me that I had left… Was my best friend, Dimitrius.” She looked up at Cosmo, to see that his expression had turned to realization and something like torture, though she didn’t know why that last one was there. She had told him about her best friend who was mute. That’s how she understood Cosmo immediately when they first met.

 

“Dimitrius was the one who taught me how to fight, against my parents wishes.“ Aria smiled at the memory. “He’s also the one who gave me this crystal.” She brought out her crystal necklace from under her robe and watched how sometimes it dimmed or lit up. Cosmo looked at it intently, she could tell he was curious about how it glowed on its own, but that was an explanation for another time. “Dimitrius was born mute. But that didn’t stop him. He was an excellent warrior and fighter. But in the end… His skills didn’t save him and couldn’t save him… Not against the Galra.

 

“When our planet began to die, the Galra rounded up everyone else on my planet to go and work in concentration camps. Unfortunately, I was separated from Dimitrius once we got to the camps.” Aria swallowed as she began to tell the worst part of her story. Of the nightmare that constantly haunted her. The nightmare that woke her up tonight. Cosmo’s posture seemed to tense. As if he knew what was coming.

 

“One day, I was scheduled to a different mine. It just so happened it was the mine that Dimitrius was in. I ended up running into him on my way to my to my post. He looked so much thinner, so much paler. He just looked so weak. But I knew that they had sent him to the mines that were the toughest because he was so strong. I can’t remember why they scheduled me there. It didn’t make sense if it was one of the tougher mines. But when we saw each other, we immediately rushed to hug each other. I remember him stroking my head like he did when we were younger… But I could actually wrap my arms completely around him, which scared me because I knew he wasn’t getting enough nutrition. They must of been starving him and continuing to force him to work. A Galra came and split us apart, yelling at us to get back to work. But when they did that, the force of the push was too much for Dimitrius, and it caused him to fall. He could barely get back up again. I went to go help him but I was restrained.” Aria closed her eyes and breathed in and out. “The head Galra came and kicked Dimitrius to get back up. I saw the strength leave Dimitrius as he laid there. I remember my vision getting blurry from the tears in my eyes as I knew what would happen next. The Galra began to beat him. With his guns, his fists, his feet, just constantly pounding into Dimitrius. I heard the dull thuds, bones cracking; he couldn’t even groan or scream because he was mute.” A tear escaped her eye as she began to tell Cosmo about the part that haunted her.

 

“I yelled at them to stop. That he couldn’t get up, that he needed a break. But it didn’t matter. My pleas were ignored. And then… The Galra had just had enough of him… And he,” Aria began to cry. She fell to the floor and hugged herself. She knew Cosmo must have been stunned because he didn’t rush to her immediately before she continued. “The Galra raised his gun. I saw Dimitrius turn to me. He signed ‘I’m sorry’ and gave me a small smile before I heard gun shots..and his face contorted into pain before the light left his eyes..”

 

Aria opened her eyes and glared at her hands. “I couldn’t save him. As trained as I was in self-defense and combat by Dimitrius, I couldn’t save him…” she looked up at Cosmo in anguish. “I should have been able to save him, Cosmo! It’s my fault he’s dead!! All because I was a little tired from working in the mines, so I didn’t have the strength to throw off the Galra that was keeping me re-strained! I am stronger than that!” She yelled before a sob broke through. “That memory constantly comes to me in my sleep. The first mission I ever failed, was Dimitrius’s death. I’m constantly dealing with that nightmare…“ She shook her head.

 

Aria looked at Cosmo sadly. “I should’ve been able to save him… The guilt eats away at me constantly… I’ve lost everyone now… I have no one…” she dropped her gaze to her lap. “I want to move past it. I try to… but nothing works, no amount of distractions help. Especially, not when it comes time to sleep. I don’t get enough sleep because of the constant nightmares. I don’t know what to do, Cosmo… I feel like I am tarnishing my people, my parents, and Dimitrius’s memory if I try to forget-“ she halted her sentence when she saw Cosmo’s shadow lean over her and felt him wrap her in his arms. She got a lump in her throat when she felt Cosmo stroking her head, just like Dimitrius used to do. She clung to him and cried once more, Cosmo stroking her head the entire time.

 

After a few minutes, Aria calmed down. Cosmo pulled her away slightly as she glanced up at him. He gave her a soft smile as he began to sign. “ _You aren’t alone anymore. You have us._ ”

 

Aria’s eyes widened. She glanced away, feeling ashamed. She hadn’t meant to imply that the crew weren’t a part of her now. Cosmo patted her shoulder and smiled.

 

“ _I know you didn’t mean it that way. I’m just saying, you’re not alone anymore. You can lean on us when you need to. We’re here for you, just like you’re also here for us._ ” Cosmo glanced away with something like sadness before he looked at her again. “ _And I know you can’t completely get rid of your guilt and regrets, but there was only so much you could have done. In the condition you were in, I’m not surprised you couldn’t help him. Dimitrius must have known it too._ .” Cosmo looked at Aria and gave her shoulder a squeeze, seeing the utter sadness clouding her eyes. “ _It’ll take time. We all have to let time heal our wounds and our losses._ ” Aria looked at him, knowing he must have his own past, but knowing that she shouldn’t ask at that moment. Besides, he’ll tell her when he’s ready.

 

“ _But we’ll be here healing with you. You’re not alone anymore, Aria._ ” Cosmo gave Aria a bright smile before he placed his hand on her head, and then proceeding to ruffle up her hair, earning complaints from her. Aria pouted at him and Cosmo just gave her his trademark cocky grin. She couldn’t keep up her pout and giggled.

 

As Cosmo helped Aria stand up, she felt she could actually breathe normally. Something she hasn’t felt she’s been able to do for quite a while. Aria smiled at Cosmo and hugged him. “Thank you, Cosmo.” She pulled away and put her hands on her hips. “I guess I really did need to talk to someone about all of this baggage. I feel like I can actually breathe now!” She grinned at him. Cosmo seemed relieved to see her smile.

 

Cosmo nodded. “ _Will you go back to sleep? Or do you want to keep me company and help me tinker with this new shield I’m working on?_ ” He signed as he smiled.

 

Aria felt relieved and more awake after all of this, contrary to most people after expelling so many emotions. She smiled. “ _What’s this new shield you’re working on_?” She signed.

  
  


Aria sighed, how silly could she be? She thought about Dimitrius, something she could do now without falling apart, thanks to Cosmo. What would he say if she came to him for advice about all of this hurt? She let her mind create Dimitrius in her head as she grasped her crystal necklace.

 

“ _Really Aria? You’re feeling hurt he didn’t confide in you? Come on, that’s a bit self-centered don’t you think? That night, he found you by chance. You were the one who decided to confide in him. Maybe his past is more traumatizing, so he doesn’t want to reopen those wounds and scars. That’s completely acceptable and normal. I’m agreeing with the ninja. This crew has the choice of opening up, and if you don’t want to, you should respect that. Now stop your moping! You’re not seven years old anymore! Go find him and apologize_.” Dimitrius signed as he then crossed his arms and smirked at her, his eyes fond.

 

Aria opened her eyes wide, staring at the ceiling. She hadn’t used the power of her crystal for a long time. Her heart raced from how vivid Dimitrius seemed in her manifestation of him in her mind, thanks to the crystal’s magical and mechanical  properties.

 

Aria huffed out a laugh and shook her head. Of course. Dimitrius would always call her out. But that’s why he was such a good friend to her. Good friends call you out on your crap. You may not like it at first, but in the end, you’ll realize you’re glad they did. For now, she’d get some sleep. In the morning, she’d find Cosmo and apologize.

  
  


Aria woke up fairly early. She got about five hours of restful sleep before her mind woke her up about the inevitable. She sighed, got dressed, and headed to the dining area. She said a small ‘hello’ to Ash as she grabbed a bagel and made herself some energizing herbal tea. When she went to find a table, she saw Lo and decided to sit there. Lo seemed lost in her thoughts until Aria appeared. Lo gave her a small smile and patted the seat beside her. Once Aria sat down, she knew Lo would begin to ask her how she was.

 

“So, did you get much sleep after...yesterday’s revelations?” Lo tried to keep it light, she tried. But that didn’t help Aria’s situation much.

 

Aria took a sip of her tea and a bite of her bagel. Once swallowed, she answered. “About five hours of sleep. And it was restful.”

 

“That’s great! That’s a lot better than most of everyone else, I’m sure.” Lo gave an awkward smile. Aria merely nodded back as she stared at her mug of tea. Lo read her body language and sighed. “Want to talk about it? I know you’re still...slightly upset.” She asked as she adjusted her glasses.

 

Aria put her head in her hands and groaned. She heard Lo chuckle beside her. Maybe it would do her some good to talk through her stupid and selfish feelings. Aria began to explain that she knew she was being ridiculous, but that she was still hurt. Without going through her past like she did with Cosmo, she told Lo how he found her and consoled her. And that she wanted to do the same for him. He’s her best friend, like an older brother. She considered everyone on the Scarlet Kaida her new family. She wanted to protect them and help them with anything. If she couldn’t be there to help Cosmo through his past, be there to console him, what good is she?

 

Aria bad began to play with her hair as she ranted, Lo silent but analyzing. Aria huffed in annoyance. Mostly at herself.

 

“Do you feel bad?” The scientist asked after a few minutes of silence, her cup of honey milk in her palm. Condensation from the steam of her cup had disappeared from her glasses and Aria could now see Lo’s sharp irises look right through her.

 

“Yes Lo, I do.”

  
  
“Do you regret what you said?”

  
  
“Another yes.”

  
  
“Then you need to apologise. It’s as simple as that.”

  
  
Aria hated the tone she used. As if it was easy? Plus, even if she wanted to, Cosmo would probably not want to hear from her. Even though she convinced herself of apologizing in the morning, she began to lose her resolve. As soon as they had gotten back from the investigation on the attack he had disappeared into his lab and she hadn’t seen him since. Not that she had tried to look for him either. She sighed.

  
But she wouldn’t know until she really tried, right?

  
  
“You’re right, Lo. I need to apologise to Cosmo, and to Jijii too while we’re at it, and I’m going to do it right now.”

  
  
“Great, let’s go then,” Lo chirped, careful to lift her chair so it wouldn’t scratch on the floor in a very annoying and ear-killing way.

  
  
It didn’t take them long to find the engineer as he had, indeed, not move from his lab since the previous day. Hidden behind a pile of books and crumbled papers, he had startled when they had come into his hideout. He gazed at Aria and Lo with curiosity and somewhat sadness.

 

Aria stepped forward and held her hands in front of herself. “Cosmo..um,” she bit her lip and breathed in and out. “I’m sorry.” She said as she looked up at him. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I was...being a horrible friend.” She continued. “I should have been more supportive...of you not wanting to tell your past. There’s no excuse for my selfishness. I know you’d have told me when you’re ready..or not at all. It’s your choice. And maybe your past is too painful to talk about. And that’s okay!” Aria said as she gave him a soft smile. “I should have been more empathetic. I know I told you mine when I was breaking down. I just assumed you’d tell me your own soon after...but that was wrong of me. I shouldn’t have. It’s your choice.” She said as she took a breath. “I hope you can forgive me?” She asked hesitantly.

 

Cosmo blinked and smiled. He stood up and walked over to Aria and pulled her into a hug.

 

“Oof!” Aria grunted. She blinked and looked up at him. She made a small in audible gasp as Cosmo began to stroke her head, just like Dimitrius did. She smiled and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him too. When Cosmo loosened his hold on her, she pulled away and looked at him.

 

“ _There’s nothing to forgive_ .” Cosmo signed. “ _I understand where you’re coming from. But it’s okay. We’re okay._ ”

 

Aria’s eyes got a little misty as she smiled. “ _Thank you, Cosmo_..” she signed back.

 

“See, I knew everything would be okay!” Lo smiled cheerfully.

 

Cosmo winked at Lo. Then he seemed to think of something. “ _Hey Lo, can you recheck our current project? I meant to ask you about it yesterday_.” He signed.

 

Lo’s eyes lit up as she nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I’ll go right now!” She turned around to leave, but turned back in their direction. “I’m glad you both are okay now. It wouldn’t do us any good for our favorite duo to be at odds.” She said as she smiled brightly. Then she left.

 

Aria smiled bashfully before looking at Cosmo. However, when she did, Cosmo’s face had darkened. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but then her anxiety filled her head. Maybe he lied and they weren’t ok.. was he going to tell her he’d act fine around her when around the others, but they weren’t friends anymore on their own time? She didn’t have time to worry further before he grabbed her hand and walked out of his office.

 

Aria realized as they were walking, or rather, being dragged by her mute best friend, that she knew the route he was taking them. When they got there, she was once again reminded of when she confided in Cosmo those months ago. Yes, Cosmo had taken her to his and Lucy’s private reading room. Cosmo stopped Aria and made her sit down on the sofa by the window sill. She blinked up at him in confusion. “Cosmo?” She inquired.

 

Cosmo went to the desk and grabbed the wooden chair with back and bottom cushions, and placed it a bit in front of her. He sat down and rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the ground. He was silent for a moment before he looked up and held her gaze. He closed his eyes, took a breathe, then sat up straighter.

 

“ _I’ll tell you._.” Cosmo signed. He watched Aria’s eyes widen and her mouth open in shock. Then she began to panic.

 

“ _No, no, wait! I don’t want you to feel obligated to tell me! It’s okay, I can wait till you’re really ready_..” Aria signed sporadically. Even Cosmo had trouble following.

 

Cosmo gave her a small smile. “ _It’s alright. I’m ready. Just know...it’s not a happy one..but then again, none of ours are._ ” He shrugged with a smirk. He watched Aria look torn but finally, she gazed at him steadily.

 

“Okay...only if you’re _positive_ you’re ready…” Aria said as she nodded.

 

He ran a hand over his growing stubble. “ _My time on earth was decent,_ ” he began. “ _It was not until Galaxy Garrison, that everything..._ ” his hands fumbled for the sign.  Surely, Aria knew Cosmo yearned to speak.  
  
“ _I grew up in poverty and did not realize. How could I have known? Not like my family could afford to live anywhere else. But, my childhood was happy. I had school, a home. Actually, math has always been my favorite. I have three brothers, two sisters. I am second youngest and my younger sister was closest with me_ .” A ghost of a smile twitched on his face at the memory. “ _Trouble maker. Always. The amount of times I had to drag her ass out of shit was crazy_ .”  
  
If it weren’t for the fact Aria already knew sign language, the out of order grammar for native speakers would have thrown her off. Translating it is difficult for the others, but it’s second nature for her.

  
“ _She was the only one who had hope I could become an engineer. Everyone else passed it off as a phase. While our older siblings fought over petty, childish things, I kept to myself while also following along with her idiotic ideas. Her name was Geo_ .” A hot breath whiffed out his nose, as if the name was cursed, he saw Aria tense, she most likely sensed things would shift here. “ _When I attended Galaxy Garrison, everything went great until I dated this girl. She was a bitch. Don’t tell Lucy I admitted to that. But Sage convinced me that my family wasn’t good enough. Specifically, Geo, since we fought a lot when I was abroad. The rest of my family honestly loved her. Everything got worse when Geo came to Galaxy Garrison to become a pilot. They fought so much. Sage twisted my mind into thinking everything was Geo’s fault. Isolated me from my sister, got mad at me for hanging out with anyone but Sage herself_ .  
  
“ _Anyways, when I graduated I got the opportunity to travel in space for a mission expedition as the engineer. My eighteenth birthday was the launch date, but Geo wasn’t there. I planned to talk to her once I got back, I thought four months of thinking apart would help us both. It didn’t. Geo managed to get on board to talk to me._ ”  
  
Aria couldn’t hold herself back. “How did she get on without the security system—“  
  
“ _The security system went off plus sent a distress signal out. We were already a week out, so Earth was far behind. The Galra answered our distress signal. They killed my whole crew. I fought, screamed,_ anything _. Zarkon called me a fighter and thought I would be a great help in creating new weapons. As they dragged me away from my sister_ …” He dropped his hands for a moment. There weren’t tears. Aria squinted but couldn't read his facial expression. “ _My name is Isaac. When they dragged me around the corner, the last thing Geo ever said was my name before a gunshot echoed throughout the ship. That sound is engraved in my head. I can’t hold guns. I fight with swords. Eventually, they threw me in the ring. The cells were brutal, I got really sick,_ ” he signed, pulling down his collar further to show a faded scar along his throat. “ _Got a blow to the throat. Can’t talk anymore_.”

 

Aria placed a hand over her mouth. He had also lost people he cared about. Traumatized and wounded both mentally and physically by the Galra. And most of all, he was using a different name than his biological one. Because his biological name reminded him of his sister whom he was closest with and couldn’t save. His new name helped him to forget the pain. She could understand that. Aria wondered if Cosmo had the same problems that she had before she bared her soul to him. Was he haunted by Geo’s death too? Did he wake up at night from nightmares like she had? She stopped her internalized questions when he began to sign.

 

“ _Oh yeah, I haven’t told my parents either. Pretty sure they assume we’re dead.._ ” Cosmo looked slightly bitter. “ _Well..one of us is.._ ” he stopped signing and clenched his fists in his hands, staring at them.

 

Aria looked at him sadly. She crawled down onto the ground and kneeled in front of him, taking his hands in hers. Cosmo tensed slightly. “I understand that pain well. I now understand that when I talked about my past..you understood my pain too.” She sighed and looked up at him. “You told me it wasn’t my fault. That in that situation, there was nothing you could’ve done. Add to that that you must have been terrified. After these aliens come aboard your ship, just after you found out your sister stowed away on your ship? There was so much happening at once.” She gave him a small smile. “Plus, at first look, the Galra are kind of scary. Especially if you didn’t believe in aliens or think aliens would be in your solar system.” That earned a small smile from Cosmo. “But I’m going to tell you what you told me.” She smiled warmly. “You’re not alone anymore. We can’t rewind or change the past. But you have a new family. And we’re all wounded. But, we’ll heal together.” She nodded as she placed one of her hands on his shoulder. “We’re here for you too. I’m here for you. As your best friend and fighting partner; your wounds, demons, and all. No matter what.” She nodded once more, staring at him confidently, but with a soft smile.

 

Cosmo looked like he was getting choked up but willed it away and smiled. He took Aria’s hands and stood, making her stand with him. He pulled her into a tight hug. He felt her tense, but then reciprocated the hug, rubbing his back.

 

After a moment, he pulled away, smiling. “ _Thank you. That means so much to me. And you’re right. I guess I should have taken the same advice I gave you._ ” He grinned while scratching his cheek.

 

Aria laughed. “That you should have!” She said grinning. She looked away for a second before returning eye contact. “It means so much to me that you shared your past. And if you ever need help, or any sort of comfort, you know you can come to me, or any of us for that matter. We’ll be here if you need us in any way.” She said smiling and placing her hands on her hips.

 

Cosmo smiled and shook his head. He should have known he’d be accepted no matter what. Aria was right, or rather, he was since he gave Aria the advice before. Content, he ruffled her hair, earning him and a disgruntled Aria, he just grinned as she swatted away his hand.

 

“You always do that when we have a serious moment! Why?!” Aria complained as she tried to straightened her hair out.

 

“ _It’s how I show affection!_ ” Cosmo signed as he grinned, jumping away as she swat at him but missed.

 

Aria giggles and looked up at him. “So, are we good?” She asked sheepishly. She felt even closer to him than ever, and she was so grateful and appreciative.

 

Cosmo smiled. “ _Yeah, we’re good._ ” He signed as she gave him one last hug.

 

As they pulled away and walked to the door, both felt a lot lighter than ever. They felt closer, and comforted that there were no more secrets between the both of them. However, Aria did think of one secret.

 

“So, how long have you had a crush on Lucy, hm?” Aria asked and watched him stop and flinch, one hand on the door knob. Aria glanced at her finger nails as if she were talking about the weather. “I noticed you two one day in this room getting all cozy together and reading a book…” she said smirking.

 

Cosmo turned around slowly and began to get a twitch in his right eye. Was no place sacred? Of course Aria would find out. She was their legendary spymaster after all. Even if she happened upon him and Lucy by chance, of course she’d ask and taunt him about it. He placed his thumb and index finger together and made a zipping movement over his lips and pointed at her. Basically saying ‘not a word’, before he made a hasty exit.

 

Aria grinned as Cosmo ran away. “Hehehe, I knew it!” She called after him, leaving her doubts, fears, as well as Cosmo’s, behind in that personal safe room aboard Scarlet Kaida, with a window overlooking the stars. Just like them, the Scarlet Kaida crew would heal their wounds and scars together, shining bright like the stars they traveled through.


End file.
